David Kulber
David Kulber is a plastic and hand surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with 26 years of experience. He became Depp's treating physician after Depp sustained a displaced distal phalanx fracture with soft tissue loss in Australia in March 2015. He was called as a witness by Depp's legal team.
Testimony Impact
Kulber established the clinical record of Depp's March 2015 finger injury — a displaced distal phalanx fracture requiring reconstructive surgery, a skin graft, pin placement, and a plaster splint immobilizing the third and fourth fingers. On direct, he testified that Depp could attempt to grab someone but with limited success, as only the index finger and thumb remained free. Cross-examination by Rottenborn secured the pivotal concession that the cast did not prevent Depp from using his fully functional other hand, directly implicating the disputed closet damage on March 23, 2015. Redirect partially countered by establishing Depp could not form a fist and that striking with the cast hand would likely have damaged it.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“He had a fracture of his finger with soft tissue loss, and so I reconstructed his finger.”
Establishes the nature of Depp's injury and the basis for Kulber's reconstructive treatment.
“He could attempt to grab someone. I don't know how successful he would be. He had his index finger free and his thumb free, but the other fingers were probably not being able to move.”
Key factual answer on Depp's hand capability while in the post-surgical cast, relevant to disputed conduct during the Australia period.
“It was a bad injury and required a few more little office procedures to clean up the tissue. He had an infection as a result of the injury.”
Underscores the severity and duration of the injury, extending the medical timeline well beyond the initial surgery.
“I mean, he had his other hand available, so...”
Kulber's concession that the injury did not render Depp physically incapable of causing damage, undermining any defense argument rooted in the hand injury.
“it's not completely circumferential. So there's soft spots to it.”
Defines the structural limitation of the cast — not a rigid shell — establishing that the 'soft cast' label reflected real physical gaps.
“He could have hit someone with it. It probably would have injured — damaged the cast.”
Concedes physical possibility while immediately qualifying that impact would compromise the cast itself, undercutting the utility of the injured hand as a weapon.
“No.”
One-word answer confirming Depp could not form a fist — the clearest single limitation established on redirect.
Key Moments
Kulber establishes credentials — 26 years as a plastic and hand surgeon at Cedars-Sinai — and describes Depp's March 2015 injury: a displaced distal phalanx fracture with soft tissue loss requiring debridement, a hypothenar skin graft, and pin placement.
Day 21 · Direct of David Kulber
Meyers asks whether Depp could grab someone while wearing the post-surgical cast; Kulber answers he could attempt it but with limited success — only the index finger and thumb were free, with the third and fourth fingers fully immobilized.
Day 21 · Direct of David Kulber
Kulber describes post-operative complications: an infection developed weeks after surgery, requiring pin removal and prolonged antibiotic treatment, extending the medical timeline to several months.
Day 21 · Direct of David Kulber
Rottenborn establishes through leading questions that the plaster splint was as hard as a conventional cast, then extracts Kulber's key concession: 'he had his other hand available' — directly undercutting any implication that the injury constrained Depp's capacity for physical aggression during the Australia period.
Day 21 · Cross of David Kulber
Rottenborn asks whether the cast prevented damage to Heard's closet on March 23, 2015; the court overrules a speculation objection from Meyers, and Kulber concedes the cast would not have prevented it.
Day 21 · Cross of David Kulber
On redirect, Meyers asks whether Depp could form a fist with the injured hand; Kulber answers with a single word: 'No' — the clearest single physical limitation established in his testimony.
Day 21 · Redirect of David Kulber
Kulber concedes Depp could have struck someone with the cast hand but immediately qualifies that doing so would probably have damaged the cast — partially countering the cross-examination's emphasis on the available other hand.
Day 21 · Redirect of David Kulber
Locations
Evidence From Their Proceedings (2)
Depp Plaster Splint, March 2015 Surgery — Kulber Testimony
The plaster splint applied to Johnny Depp's third and fourth fingers following surgery on March 20, 2015, described during David Kulber's testimony. On redirect, Kulber clarified…
Catalog entry →'Plane Pictures' Photographs (Exhibit 400)
Photographs described as 'PLANE pictures,' shown to Dr. Kulber during cross-examination.
Catalog entry →